Alarming 18.8 % Gender Gap For Australian Women in ICT

According to the Razzbri and Digital + Technology Collective’s Digital Skills and Salary Report 2018, the digital and technology industry still has a long way to go in terms of gender diversity.

The report says of the gender gap:

Disparity in pay and employment prospects are still evident between men and women. Despite the perception of the progressive nature of the industries and the relative youth of employees, the median salary for females working in the industry at $121,000 per annum is $28,000 less than their male counterparts. (taking into account superannuation and bonuses).

That’s a pay gap of 18.8% and worse than the national average of 15.3%. Females represent 45% of the digital and technology workforce below the 50% split for all industries.

More than 15% of females are employed on a part time bases compared to 3% of men.

With disheartening statistics like these, it is no wonder that women leave ICT to work in other fields.

It is common for women to abandon their ICT careers mid-way and this is referred to as the leaky pipe syndrome. It’s a metaphor sometimes used for the loss of women in all STEM fields.

Some consider this issue coming from a lack of female role models and leaders, childcare arrangements and costs, and stereotyping at interviews and on the job. Women in IT often end up doing the lower paid ‘housekeeping’ jobs.

Women who have left the workforce to have children might come back to find their skills out of date or out of demand. Other women take their transferable skills and apply them to other fields where their technology skills still plays a vital role on the job.

If you are a woman working in the ICT industry, what would you do with the extra AUS$28,000 per year?

Emma Crameri is a freelance digital content and marketing professional. I have experience working in ICT and online education industries. I can turn your ideas into engaging and shareable online content. I'm an early adopter with both Android and Apple devices. I'm also the Editor of the Brisbanista website.